


Don't call me baby

by LostInTranslation (theonemaye)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Canon Universe, Complete, Happy Birthday Hunk (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, I just needed this in the world ok?, Lance is just Lance, M/M, Pining Hunk (Voltron), Romantic Fluff, of sorts, pining fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-03-04 07:52:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13359849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonemaye/pseuds/LostInTranslation
Summary: Hunk has carried a torch for Lance since so long ago his arm is as numb as his senses. He knows for a fact his crush is a flirt, therefore when Lance calls him “baby” from time to time, Hunk’s brain processes nothing but your regular best-buddy-pal interaction. After all, Lance never means it… Does he?—Or: Five times Hunk heard Lance call him “baby” and one time he did something about it.





	1. The first

**Author's Note:**

> _¡¡Happy Birthday, Hunkey Hunk!!_

The first time it happened, they were still at the Galaxy Garrison.

Hunk remembered it well because that was the first time he really found out what sick Lance looked like.

Namely, he had seen Lance drunk one time or two, after their infamous bonding escapades to the town near the school. Seeing one’s crush barfing in the name of Mother Teresa wasn’t a pretty sight, but Hunk was more or less okay with it as long as Lance managed to do it before they entered their shared quarters.

Thanks to his young liver and surprisingly high alcohol tolerance, the boy’s system seemed to reboot with the aforementioned tossing of his cookies. Lance emerged from it as good as new - or good enough to reach their dorm without getting them caught by the Garrison’s night guards.

Nevertheless, about-to-barf Lance was a ray of sunshine compared to what now laid in the bunkbed beside Hunk’s own.

According to the Garrison’s intern nurse, it was a mere respiratory infection Lance caught from the air. In theory, the thing was nothing serious. It was bound to recede in a couple of days with proper medication and lots of rest. But in practice, it was more than just a fleeting discomfort.

Hunk wasn’t sure what woke him up that time, but in following years he started to think it was whatever angel watched - and probably still watches - over his dork of a best friend. One good look at him was all it took for Hunk to eject from his bed and to Lance’s side.

Lance didn’t look well, lips were chapped from the fever and he hadn’t even got up to go through his nightly routine - which was pretty much like saying he was near his deathbed. The bit-too-long hair on Lance’s fringe was stuck to his forehead by a thin layer of sweat, cheeks blushed to a faint maroon and body shaking under the covers. The cough, though. The cough was something out of a nightmare.

“H-hey there, buddy,” Lance said when he saw him. Hunk put a hand on Lance’s forehead and the other one on his own, to estimate Lance’s body temperature. The guy was _burning_. “I’m n-not feeling so good.”

 _Not so good_ was the understatement of the century.

“Shh, stop talking,” Hunk prompted, brow frowning deeper by the second. “Did you take your pills on time?” Lance shakily nodded and Hunk suppressed a curse. Damned broad-spectrum antibiotics and their stupid side effects! “It’s okay, pal. I’ve got you.”

It was then when Hunk took upon himself the holy task of taking care of Lance’s feverish ass.

First, he helped him take the antipyretics the nurse swore he probably wouldn’t need, along with all the water Lance could swallow. Next, he tucked Lance tight into a thick quilt and added an extra sheet on top to help him sweat the fever away. Finally, he applied cool, wet cloths on Lance’s forehead, to help lower his friend’s body temperature.

It took time for the fever to subside but when it did, Hunk helped Lance into their shared bathroom. He set a stool under the hot stream and told a much more alert Lance to stay there for a while. Hunk’s grandma used that trick all the time when he was a child. She said it helped regulate the body’s natural temperature and also “washed the fever off”. In times of distress - and worried sick for his friend’s health as he was - Hunk wasn’t about to contradict his late gran-gran.

By the time Lance’s shower was over, Hunk had already put fresh sheets on the bed. He helped Lance into some clean pajamas and led him to the bed, minding every step to keep him from falling or whatever. Had it been daytime, Hunk would have probably gone to the cafeteria for some chicken soup - or cooked it himself, thanks very much.

Lance looked significantly better when Hunk covered him with a blanket. His fever was almost obliterated and his breathing was less labored. The clock in the bedside table said it was just past 3 in the morning but Hunk couldn’t care less. He wasn’t about to let Lance out of his watch again. Not until his friend was sound asleep and fever free, that is.

Every now and then Hunk brushed Lance’s forehead to check on his temperature, noticing how fast his exhaustion took his friend away. It was okay, though; the guy had been battling the fever alone for who knew how much. He deserved his rest.

Lance’s breathing grew steady and Hunk took it as a cue to get some rest himself. It was a weeknight after all, and Garrison teachers didn’t give students free passes to go take care of sick friends. But just when Hunk stood up from the bed, Lance’s hand flew to his wrist, keeping him in place.

“‘Sup, man?” Hunk asked, carefully scanning Lance’s face for any signs of the fever returning. He seemed about to catch forty winks, though. “You okay down there?”

There was a bit of an unintelligible mumbling before Lance cracked an eye open in Hunk’s direction.

“Thanks, baby,” he all but whispered. “G’nite.”

Lance let go of Hunk’s wrist next, then he closed his eyes and proceeded to snore as if he hadn’t been talking just instants before.

Needless to say, Hunk didn’t get much sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That boy’s too good for this universe. Someone please protect him.


	2. The second

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one turned out a bit longer than expected. I wouldn’t get used to it if I were you but what do I know, right? Enjoy~

The second time it happened, they were Paladins of Voltron.

They were still relatively new to it, however, having barely survived a handful of confrontations against Zarkon’s followers.

It was a couple of quintants after the haunted castle incident. The castleship’s scanners picked up a distress signal of an outer rim planet named Cluquen, one Allura only decided to respond because they didn’t have any fresh leads to follow.

The encrypted SOS carried the planet’s coordinates and some specifications about the issue. They seemed to have some sort of territorial problem, something about tribes and lands. And borders, especially borders. Hunk and his fellow paladins found it strange for cluquenites to search Voltron’s intervention in such matters but Coran would take none of it. In his own words, “helping those in need, even if it’s not galra related, is also a defender’s duty”.

So off they went.

Apparently, Cluquen was one of the few planets the Galra Empire didn’t see fit to conquer just yet - for reasons unknown. So they decided to take the lions there instead of the whole castleship. Allura and Coran would still orbit the planet just in case but for the purpose of the mission, the paladins were on their own.

Cluquen turned out to be a very Earth-like planet, mostly regarding its looks. From space, it had the signature blue-brown-green combination that usually granted a human-friendly atmosphere. At least those were Pidge’s estimations and being completely honest, Hunk was rooting for it to be true. A bit of fresh air and the possibility to take off his too-tight helmet was more than enough to make the Yellow Paladin smile inside his lion’s cockpit.

They landed near the distress signal’s coordinates and met up with the local tribe chief - whose tribe turned out to be more of a kingdom - making the tall, tentacled alien a sort of monarch. One would think a monarch capable of sending an encrypted distress signal across space would also have enough resources to solve a simple territory dispute on their own, but who was Hunk to judge alien sociopolitical methods.

Shiro led the formalities, which devolved into a tactical decision to separate team Voltron in three groups: Keith and Pidge on one side, Lance and Hunk on the other, and Shiro alone, acting as a mediator between alien kingdom one and alien kingdom two.

The rest of them were supposed to explore the kingdom’s borders searching for signs of sabotage, which was the main reason the cluquenite monarch didn’t want to risk sending their own people. It had something to do with their skin being sensitive to certain substances the antagonist kingdom was using to poison the borders. The monarch didn’t specify what was it or how was it spread - which was unhelpful, to say the least - but Shiro, always the pacifier, told his teammates to let the detail go.

The four of them went to their lions and split up, agreeing to regroup in one varga.  Hunk and Lance went south-east, following the coordinates given by the debatably cooperative alien monarch. Upon arrival, they climbed down their lions and made their way up a hill. Once there, Hunk couldn’t bite back a gasp.

They stood in front of a wildflowers field, vibrant in color and strong in perfume. It was unlike anything he’d seen and yet so endearing because it gave him a warm feeling in his chest, starting through his nostrils and expanding through his entire body. Hunk took a deep breath and released it, not daring to remove his helmet completely but thanking whichever gods were out there for letting him fill his lungs with fresh earth-like air.

Some movement to his left made Hunk turn his head. Lance was sprinting toward the field, obviously neglecting any safety measures. He has his helmet in one hand, brown hair moving free with the breeze. As soon as he reached the field, Lance threw himself into it, spinning around with his arms wide open and his eyes shut. A beautiful, pleased smile decorating his face. Hunk’s cozy feeling inside his chest grew warmer at the sight.

“Hunk, baby,” Lance called from afar, so loud in the spring-like wind Hunk was grateful none of their teammates were nearby, “come see this!”

 _Baby_.

It had been so long since that first time, Hunk almost thought he’d forgotten. Nevertheless, the fluttering feeling inside his stomach told his brain a different story; and not only because of the B-word but due to Lance’s incredibly pretty smile plastered all over his face. He was beaming at Hunk from the distance, an arm extended to him like an invitation.

Hunk wanted to take Lance by that arm and wrap him in an embrace so tight he wouldn’t be able to breathe. To held him so close as to drink on the other’s essence, to warm in his heat, to feel his heartbeat right beside Hunk’s own...

 _Oh man,_ the romantic scenery was messing with his impulses.

Hunk shook his head in amusement and walked to the place Lance where was standing. There was a patch of red flowers just beside his friend’s legs. They seemed strangely familiar.

“Come, come,” Lance hurried him. “You see those flowers?” He asked, pointing to the red flowers Hunk noticed before. “Don’t they look like carnations to you?”

Hunk stood there for a moment, taking in the flower’s shape now that he was closer. They were brighter than any flower he’d come across on Earth, but he had to admit they looked exactly like the carnations Lance was mentioning.

“They do,” Hunk granted, earning a pretty smile from his friend. “Though I’d say they are more like _alien_ carnations. I didn’t know you were a flower kinda guy.”

“What are you talking about? I’m kind of an expert,” Lance said confidently, leaning to one of the alien carnations and plucking it out from the grown. He then proceeded to smell it. “I worked as a flower boy the summer before Garrison’s pilot training and learned everything there is to know about the language of flowers. For example, these pretty lady right here means _deep love_.”

He said that regarding the alien carnation, looking at it like it was the most precious thing. Hunk couldn’t help but wonder how on universe was this the same guy that loved to pick up fights with Keith over the silliest of subjects. Lance’s multifaceted personality never ceased to amaze him.

“Here,” Lance said, putting the flower in Hunk’s hand and wrapping both of them with his own. The movement was so sudden, Hunk barely had time to register it. “I want you to have it.”

“Why are you giving me a carnation?” Hunk asked, trying to ignore his racing heartbeat. Lance was so close to him now. _Too close_.

“Because I like you,” Lance said, shrugging. “A pretty flower for a pretty boy,” he finished, peering up at Hunk from under his eyelashes.

Sweet salt and pepper, was Lance stunning! Hunk never truly knew how or when he ended up falling for his roommate/best friend. But if there was actually a reason, those beautiful blue eyes had to be a big part of it.

Would it be so weird if Hunk took the opportunity to confess his feelings? Truth be told, he’d always intended to, if only to get it out of his system and move on with his life. The problem was he always ended up backpedaling in the last second, afraid of destroying the friendship he and Lance had cultivated through the years.

But if there was ever going to be a perfect time to come clean to his best friend, this flowery scenario was probably it.

“Lance, I- I gotta tell you-”

“Paladins.” The comms came to life right at that moment, to Hunk’s dismay - or maybe to his benefit. “Paladins, can you hear me?”

As Lance didn’t have his helmet on, Hunk was the one bound to reply. Regardless of his current state of mind or the fact that he’d almost spilled the beans all over his crush. Wasn’t he a lucky guy?

“I hear you nice and clear,” he managed to say, clearing his throat. “What’s wrong?”

“There are some irregular readings on your biorhythm monitors,” Allura replied. “I wanted to check on you. Are you alright?”

“We’re fine,” Hunk said, barely minding Allura’s sentence. “Totally fine, Allura.”

Lance’s face brightened up at Allura’s mention. Hunk had to suppress a wince.

“Allura!” Lance squeaked happily through Hunk’s comms, with his face close to Hunk’s so his voice got through them. _Too dang close_ , Hunk thought immediately. “Allura, darling, we found carnations in here. They are _so_ red and pretty!”

“What’s a carnation?” Allura asked. Hunk meant to respond but his mind was in overdrive with how lovely Lance’s smile was and how cute he looked surrounded by all that flowery background.

“It’s a flower from Earth,” Pidge responded for him, from wherever in the planet she and Keith were. “But I don’t see any around where Keith and I landed.”

“Wait, there’s one over there,” Keith’s voice said soon after. He panted a bit, probably jogging to get a closer look, and then spoke again. “They do look like Earth’s carnations,” he confirmed. “But they smell funny.”

“I don’t smell anything,” Pidge said, after a jog of her own.

“I don’t know,” Keith said, an evident shrug in his voice. “Maybe my nose’s more sensitive than yours, pretty thing.”

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“Can someone please send me a photograph of these ‘carnations’?” Allura asked, interrupting the paladins impending bickering.

“Right away, princess,” Pidge replied, falling silent.

Hunk heard the exchange like it didn’t have anything to do with him. At that moment, making sense of his comrades' conversation seemed futile in comparison to Lance’s hands around his own and Lance’s face so close Hunk could almost count the freckles on his nose.

 _God_ , he was so in love with his friend.

He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss him _so badly_.

Allura’s sharp air intake went over Hunk’s head, as well as the urgent conversation she had with Pidge and Keith. Lance was beaming at him and it was all that mattered. Those blue eyes, those thin lips. It was all Hunk needed to exist.

“...you didn’t inhale it,” Allura’s voice resounded on Hunk’s ears like she had somehow managed to turn up the volume of the comms inside his helmet. Hunk winced a bit. “Answer me, Hunk. Did you or Lance inhale the flower’s perfume?”

Against his wishes, Hunk tore his attention from Lance’s lips and forced out a reply.

“It’s kinda impossible not to,” Hunk said, still not fully grasping the meaning behind Allura’s question. “We’re in a field surrounded by them.”

“You _what_!?” The princess all but shrieked. Hunk winced again. Why couldn’t they let him, and Lance, and the flowers be?

“Oh, no,” Pidge said through the comms. Keith’s voice was nowhere to be heard.

“Seal up your helmets, activate the oxygen and get back to the castle now!” Allura’s voice was strained. Somehow, Hunk didn’t really care. “Paladins,” she repeated due to Hunk’s silence, her voice high pitched and commanding. “Get back here right now! And do not bring any samples!” With a grunt, they did as Allura told.

Oddly enough, as soon as Hunk’s helmet sealed, he felt automatically less compelled to kiss the soul out of his best friend. Lance’s demeanor shifted as well, putting a growing distance between him and Hunk with every step they took toward their lions.

It was weird, and Hunk would lie to himself if he said he didn’t feel a bit disappointed by it, but ultimately it wasn’t that big of a deal. They weren’t boyfriends or anything. They were _best friends_. Best friends don’t stare at each other’s eyes and held hands in the middle of alien wildflower fields... Or do they?

Later on, Coran told them that the alien carnations were some sort of love flowers, and they were both being poisoned by their pollen and perfume. Hunk couldn’t bring himself to face Lance alone in almost three whole quintants after that, mortified as he was by the information. Pidge’s teasing, however, didn’t relent in literal weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is so sweet and I'm having so much fun writing it! Do you have any comments for me? Tell me what you think. Help me improve!


	3. The third

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is more than a bit of a flirt. Hunk doesn’t stand a flying chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Here's some fluff for y'all.

The third time was an awkward one.

It was training time for Team Voltron, right after their little trip to the Space Taco. With several repairs to be done around the castleship, and the paladins still on edge from the unnerving turn of events, it was actually quite natural for Shiro to propose letting out some steam over the castle’s training deck. Natural and also very welcomed.

The first half a varga was merely for decompression, with the group smashing and shooting down altean robots until there were none to be defeated. When sweat and heat were the common denominators, Shiro instructed the paladins to regroup to the side of the deck.

“Let’s spice things up, huh?” He said, sporting a mischievous grin that could only mean trouble.

To Hunk’s dismay, said “spice” had nothing to do with brunch and everything to do with the Yellow Paladin’s less favorite training activity: Staff-fighting.

It wasn’t like Hunk didn’t _know_ how to use a staff to defend himself if things came down to it. He was more than capable of kicking galran asses into oblivion with a resistant enough pipe or wooden club. Heck! Even a large branch could do, under the right circumstances.

No, staff-fighting wasn’t the problem.  It was staff-fighting _training_ against his Voltron comrades what Hunk wasn’t fond of.

Shiro was Shiro; perfect technique, flawless execution. Fighting the guy was like fighting a brick wall only to realize the wall was winning. Keith was downright intense, always task oriented and honestly _too dang strong_ for someone his size. Pidge was also little but freaking determined, able to find any openings and inflict maximum damage. And Lance… Well, Lance was just like water.

“You lot are gonna pair up, now,” said Shiro behind them, while Hunk and his friends gathered some altean-metal staffs from the weapons closet. According to Coran, they would be able to shape their bayards at will someday. But right now, generic training stuff should do. “Keith versus Pidge, then Hunk versus Lance.” Hunk suppressed a wince. _Of course_ , this was his luck. “Victors will fight each other next,” Shiro continued, taking a staff for himself. “And I’ll fight the last man standing.”

“Or woman!” Pidge interjected, punching the air with the hand currently gripping her staff.

“Or woman,” Shiro corrected himself, smiling at Pidge. “No cutting, no eye poking, no _biting_.” For some reason, Shiro always ended up gazing at Keith on the “biting” part. Keith just scoffed while the rest of them snorted at the implication. “And always remember: You are training partners, not enemies.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, boss,” Pidge interrupted, practically vibrating with anticipation. “Enough with the playground rules. Let’s kick some serious butt!”

Lance howled to the ceiling after the comment and Pidge did too, earning a fond smile from Shiro. As soon as he gestured for them to move, the girl ran to the center, followed by her unamused opponent.

“You realize you’re up against me, right?” Keith asked her, taking his place on the arena.

“Don’t worry, Kogane,” Pidge replied, adopting a crouching position. A smug smile curved up her lips. “I’ll go easy on you.”

Shiro hid a smile with the back of his hand and walked to the center of the deck. He used his own staff to measure the correct separation between the first contestants, pointing out some form corrections along with other general advice.

Hunk was standing about six feet away from the trio, metallic staff in one hand and arms folded over his chest. No matter how many times they did this, waiting for his turn to one-on-one a fellow paladin didn’t get any easier. He didn’t like the idea of fighting a friend, let alone fighting the very friend he was currently in love with.

Hunk felt rather than saw Lance approach from somewhere to his left, the nudging on his side something to be expected.

“Ready to get physical, big boy?” Lance murmured to him, the cocky smile practically audible.

Hunk held his breath, as he did every time something vaguely flirty left Lance’s lips these days. His body’s reaction to Lance’s flirtatious self stopped being cute ages ago. And at that precise moment of time and space, it was just annoying.

Hunk forced a witty reply out of him; no need to embarrass himself in front of his crush.

“If by ‘physical’ you mean me kicking your butt, then yes, I’m ready.”

“Rather confident today, are we?” Lance retorted, not losing a beat. “You know your bestie status is not gonna save you from my skills. I’ve been practicing with Pidge.”

As if on cue, Pidge landed a hit on Keith that made him step back and adopt a defensive position. Some feet away from the fighters, Hunk saw Shiro’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Come on, Keith. Is that all you’ve got? I’m bored over here.”

Pidge made a show of yawning out loud as she spoke. Hunk was almost able to hear Keith’s teeth grinding.

“Shut up, Holt!” he barked, still in defense.

Hunk could tell Pidge was trying to mess up with Keith’s temper, to use it as leverage. It seemed to be working, though, because Keith all but charged against her after Pidge’s next teasing sentence. The girl dodged Keith’s attack like it was nothing and then proceeded to mock him even more.

Oh, man! When did she get so good at this? Judging by Shiro’s raised eyebrow - and Keith’s chest and stomach flattened against the deck’s floor - both of them were wondering the same.

“Besides,” Lance said like he’d never stopped talking, “I know my way around a stick.”

_Wait, what?_

Hunk’s brain short-circuited at that, failing to fully grasp the meaning behind Lance’s words. Was he really implying..?

Hunk turned his head to Lance and was greeted by the smuggest smile he’d ever seen on Lance’s face, the boy’s blue eyes looking at him with a hint of something Hunk didn’t even know how to categorize.

“They’re not sticks, they’re staffs!” Hunk screeched, thankful the other team members were otherwise occupied. Lance chuckled, low and deep. Hunk wanted to die.

“Oh, baby,” his friend all but purred, making every single hair of Hunk’s nape to stand on end, “who says I’m talking about _those_ sticks?”

Hunk stared at Lance’s face longer than he’d intended to, mouth dry and slightly agape, throat constricted and heart beating faster than a drumroll. Lance held his gaze the whole time, his eyes bright and his nose wrinkled. Smirking like he knew something Hunk didn’t. And why on universe was his face _so darn pretty_?

Ever since the flower poisoning incident, Lance’s pretty face was all Hunk could think about. He knew the whole spontaneous confession scare was all due to alien carnations, as was Hunk’s massive need to kiss Lance’s whole face. But even without the love pollen, sometimes Hunk found himself wanting to touch Lance. Or kiss him. Or lick him, depending on the context.

Hence having Lance’s face so close Hunk could definitely count the freckles of his nose wasn’t exactly helping his case.

“Hey, lovebirds!” Pidge’s voice pierced through Hunk’s mental fog. “It’s your turn now.”

Hunk blinked repeatedly and tore his gaze from Lance, turning his head to her instead. Pidge was holding two staffs over her head while Keith - some good nine feet away from her - had none. Had she won the fight? Most importantly: How long had Hunk been staring at Lance’s stupid, pretty face? _Jesus!_ He needed to get a grip and get it fast.

“Coming!” Lance replied, waving a cheerful hand at her. He took two steps forward before turning to look at Hunk again. “Come on, big guy,” he said, smiling. “Let’s show ‘em how it’s done.”

Then Lance winked at him and Hunk knew beyond any doubt that he was about to lose the match.


	4. The fourth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance worries about Hunk's wellbeing in a definitely platonic way... doesn't he?

The fourth time it happened, Hunk wasn’t even sure what to make of it.

It was during their time without a team leader, some good weeks before the Black Lion found Shiro stranded in the middle of nowhere.

It was _supposed_ to be an easy, peaceful diplomatic mission. One Hunk was sent to carry out alone because the team was already stretched thin between fixing the castle yet again, tracking galrans’ next move after the Voltron versus Zarkon showdown, and of course, trying to figure out what the frak happened to Shiro.

When the opportunity of making a new ally presented itself, Pidge and Lance were on their own mission several quadrants away, Allura was busy helping Coran, and poor Keith was too disperse and withdrawn to be helpful in a diplomatic exchange. So Hunk had to go on his own on Voltron’s behalf, with just Allura and Coran’s quick diplomatic lessons as his metaphorical armor.

He landed on the jungle-like planet whose name he couldn’t quite pronounce, then contacted their leader just as Allura told him. And everything was going quite smoothly, really. Remarkably so… until it wasn’t.

Long story short, locals ambushed him and separated him from his lion. They also took his helmet, making it impossible for Hunk to reach out to his friends. Apparently, the whole thing was a charade to get a hold on one of Voltron’s Lions and give it to the galra in exchange for some kind of reward. The people of that freaking planet didn’t want to join Voltron’s coalition; they wanted to gain Galra Empire’s favor instead.

It took him a whole quintant to trick his jailers into thinking he needed his helmet to breathe in the planet’s atmosphere. Neither of them wanted to be responsible for his death, not after their leader promised Zarkon’s minions an up and kicking yellow paladin. So they handed Hunk his helmet, and he contacted the castleship as soon as he could.

Not so long after that, Keith came to the rescue. He came alone, probably out of guilt for not accompanying Hunk in the first place - or so Hunk thought. Some good couple of vargas of smashing and blasting later he was safe inside his lion’s cockpit, flying alongside Keith to meet the castleship and wormhole away.

On their way back to the castle, Keith told him the other lions were recharging after taking some heavy galra fire and a spooky black beam presumably from Haggar’s dark magic. It was the real reason Keith had to go solo on the rescue mission, though apparently, Lance volunteered too.

“Allura wouldn't have it,” Keith said through the lion’s floating screen. “They were both too weak after the dark magic stuff. It was a risk. Though it’s the first time I’ve seen Lance talk back to Allura like that,” Keith commented, Hunk saw his brow furrowing. “It was a weird couple doboshes.”

Once inside the hangar, Hunk saw Green and Blue lions waiting for them, as well as their paladins, plus Coran and Allura. Lance was in paladin armor sans the helmet, same as Pidge. No doubt they were all on standby, waiting for Keith’s instructions in case Hunk’s rescue mission went south.

Hunk took a deep breath before climbing down his lion, internally grateful of being safe inside the castleship again. His homecoming committee met him just outside his lion, all big smiles, and welcoming words. Pidge actually gave him a quick hug, and the mice ran in circles around his feet, making happy little mice sounds.

It was all truly amazing and Hunk couldn’t stop smiling. He was okay, he was safe again, and most importantly: he was home. Though there was still someone missing from the reception, and Hunk realized this about half a tick before said someone practically tackled him into a hug.

They hugged a lot. In fact, Hunk was mostly certain they were the cuddliest best-friend-buddies in the whole galaxy. But this hug felt somehow different. Probably because Lance was all but sobbing against Hunk’s chest.

“Are you hurt? Got it all in the right places?” Lance asked him, leaning back without breaking their embrace, just enough so he could look up at Hunk’s face. “Oh, baby, I was worried sick! I’m so happy you’re okay.”

Then Lance threw his arms over Hunk’s shoulders and tucked his face in the crook of Hunk’s neck. He didn’t know what to do, so he just kind of stayed there, hugging his friend back until the other decided it was fit to let go. He didn’t even know if the others were still watching the exchange, looking down in embarrassment as he was. Was Pidge watching them? Oh, lord! If she was, he’d never hear the end of it.

Eventually, Lance broke the hug, though he made a point of not letting go of Hunk’s hands. Hunk could feel an obnoxious blush creeping to his cheeks, but he looked up to Lance’s face instead of paying his fluster any more attention. Then he realized it wasn’t a very clever move.

Even with puffy eyes from crying and tiny droplets hanging from his long lashes, Lance was the most beautiful thing Hunk had ever seen in his whole life. He wanted nothing more but to hug his friend again and again, chasing his pain away with butterfly kisses scattered all over his cheeks and forehead and nose and... _Dang!_ He had it bad, did he?

“Is there anything you need, big guy?” Lance said after a tick or ten, looking Hunk straight in the eye. “Anything at all?”

From the corner of his eye, Hunk spied the rest of the team giving them privacy, though all he wanted right now was to crawl under a rock and stay there forever.

“Lance, I-” Hunk started, noticing the weight of every single gaze their friends weren’t directing at them. Out of pure embarrassment, he said the first thing that came to his mind: “I _really_ wanna take a shower now.”

 _Quiznak_ , he was such an idiot.

“Oh,” Lance breathed, blinking for a moment. Then a smug smirk lifted the corner of his lips and Hunk almost wished he’d died on the Jumanji planet. “Well, I certainly can help you with _that_.”

Keith’s sharp breath intake and Pidge’s snort were the universe’s worst kept secrets. On the other hand, Allura - the ancients bless her alien soul - knew exactly how to navigate her way through uncomfortable situations. She materialized to Hunk’s side in record time.

“I believe what Hunk is trying to convey here,” she started, taking the horse by the reins and redirecting Lance’s attention toward her, “is that he wishes to go to his quarters and have some well-deserved rest. Take off his paladin armor, a hot shower perhaps? After everything that’s happened, I think we all could use some _alone_ time as well.”

Hunk could have kissed her.

Understanding washed over Lance’s face in the span of a tick. He mouthed an “oh” and proceeded to let go of Hunk’s hand. And although the gesture tapered the awkwardness off a bit, the loss of Lance’s hands on his own left Hunk wanting to reach for him again.

He battled that feeling away, though. Enough Lance exposure for one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Real life is a mess, but i'm here and i'm finishing this sweet little thing very very soon. Stay tuned for the final chapter~


	5. The fifth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes all it takes is a little push… and some alien buzz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is bound to give y'all cavities. Enjoy~

The fifth time, though... it was something else entirely.

It happened some weeks after Keith found Shiro. Or was it Black the one who found Shiro? Maybe it was Shiro who summoned Black when he was near death or perhaps… Well, the point is that it happened after Shiro’s return.

That first couple of phoebs with Shiro back on the castle and Keith disappearing every once in a while to help the Blade weren’t easy for them. The tension was palpable, Shiro still wasn’t himself, and between the constant fighting and doing all those “shows of arms” Voltron team didn’t feel like a team at all.

It was a blessing when some coalition planet announced a ball in their honor. A chance to forget their paladin problems for one single night. Sure, Keith wouldn’t be there - as per usual - and everyone else would probably be salty about it, but at least Lance seemed excited for once. Hunk couldn’t say it wasn’t a nice side effect.

After Keith started ditching his black paladin’s duties, Lance seemed to take upon himself the part of the group’s lonely wolf. Hunk couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat his fault, with him helping Pidge all the time, and everyone else too busy to hang out with Lance outside missions.

It wasn’t as if Hunk _wanted_ to distance himself from Lance; not really. He was just trying to give himself some time and space to get his crap together. After the Jumanji incident, Hunk couldn't even be near Lance without feeling like a complete idiot. He’d been aware of his crush for Lance since forever, always dismissing it and thinking the feeling would fade away. But it never did. His feelings weren’t fading - quite the opposite, really - which was making it increasingly difficult for Hunk to act normal around the object of his affection.

“You should just tell him,” was Pidge’s advice every time their science conversation progressed to regular friend talk. “I can’t have you here sobbing about his ‘perfect freckles’ for all eternity.”

“I can’t tell him, Pidge. It might ruin our friendship,” was Hunk’s answer every time. Or as Pidge liked to call it, his _excuse._

Last time they talked about it, though, Pidge kind of snapped.

“Look, man, you hide in our workshop all day long, you don’t hang out with him anymore, and he’s starting to look at me like I’m the villain who took his favorite toy! If you don’t do something about it, there might not be any friendship left to ruin.”

As much as Hunk wanted to deny it, Pidge might have a point. He _should_ do something about his silly crush. Also, the fact he’d been avoiding his best friend for the past two months wasn’t helping their relationship. So the ball was the perfect pretext to start a conversation with Lance - and maybe confessing his feelings if he was brave enough.

Pidge made him promise he’d talk to Lance that night, which was probably the reason why he was currently downing his second - or was it the third? - drink in a row.

A hobbit-sized alien kept bringing Hunk glasses of a bright pink liquor with a nice minty flavor. It tasted ten thousand times better than nunvill, but it also seemed to be stronger. Either that or Hunk was very lightweight when it came to alien buzz.

Be as it may, the pink thingy was doing wonders with Hunk’s anxiety. In fact, he couldn’t quite remember what was he so anxious about. It had something to do with Lance, but… what was it again? He giggled himself silly when he realized he couldn’t remember the source of his anguish.

A tiny hand on his arm took him by surprise, and Hunk jumped a bit, letting some pink liquor fall to the floor. What a shame, he was going to drink that.

“Heeey, Hunkey Hunk! You talked to Lance yet?” Pidge asked, standing in front of him.

She was striking in that forest-green suit the locals had given her to wear, and he tried to take a mental note to tell her that at some point. They all had shiny new clothes, each in some shade of their paladin armor’ color, and custom-made to every paladin’s liking. Allura was the only one wearing a dress, the rest of them had chosen suits.

“Lance?” Hunk asked in return. He’d got distracted thinking about their new outfits.

“Yeah, Lance. You know, tall, lanky, can’t shut up even if his life’s at stake.”

“Pffft! Pidge, I know who Lance is,” he stated. He knew who Lance was. In fact, he knew it all too much. “He’s my friend!” Hunk stated, maybe a bit too loud.

“Mmhmm,” Pidge hummed, quizzically looking at him over her glasses. “Well, did you talk to him?”

“No. I haven’t seen him all night.” His brow furrowed, realizing that in fact, he hadn’t seen Lance since before they left the castle. What a shame. “I wanna see him, though,” Hunk said thoughtfully, taking another sip of his pink drink. “I’m sure he looks pretty in his blue suit.”

Pidge frowned, giving him a head-to-toe look. “Oh, my god. Are you drunk?” She asked in disbelief.

“What? No I’m not,” he said because it was true. He wasn’t _drunk_! Not yet, anyway. “I’m just a bit... tipsy... maybe.”

“Tipsy, huh?”

“Yes, Holt, I’m tipsy. Lay off!”

Pidge snorted when the rest of Hunk’s drink ended up on the floor, as a result of his too enthusiastic gesturing for her to “lay off”. Maybe he _was_ tipsier than he’d thought.

“You should go looking for him, y’know?” Pidge said after a moment. “I saw him walking to the gardens earlier. He might still be there,” she commented, taking Hunk’s empty glass from him. “Also, I think you could use some fresh air to… ehmm, clear your head a little.”

His friend couldn’t hide her amusement, not that she was trying. Hunk only let it go because looking for Lance sounded better than staying there being Pidge’s buffoon.

So he did just that. He went to the maze-like hanging gardens in search of his missing friend, noticing how they were beautifully decorated with what seemed to be the alien version of Christmas lights. Pidge wasn’t wrong about the fresh air, though; it was helping Hunk’s mental fog to clear out, leaving him relaxed but way more capable of coherent thinking.

About half a varga had passed when he finally located Lance. His friend was standing in one of the gardens’ many balconies, eyes staring straight ahead, toward the planet’s second sunset. He looked absolutely stunning, in a smart royal-blue suit that fit him perfectly. The sunset’s orange light softened his features, giving his caramel skin a pearlescent glow that could as well be extra-terrestrial. And if that wasn’t one of the most gorgeous things Hunk had ever seen in his whole life.

It took Hunk probably a couple of doboshes to realize he’d been staring, and by the time he did, Lance had noticed his presence.

“Like what you see, baby?” He said, turning around to face him. Lance’s lips curved in a knowing smirk and _man!_ Was he attractive when he did that!

“Yes, I do,” Hunk said, unable to keep his mouth from running on its own. “I really, really do.”

“Wait, you _do_?” Lance asked him, completely taken aback by his reply.

It took Hunk a handful of seconds to understand the reason of Lance’s reaction, and once he did, he sobered up so fast it could as well have been a miracle.

 _Oh,_ _Quiznak!_

“Oh, my god! I’m sorry Lance, I-” Hunk started in a rush, lowering his gaze. He felt Lance walking toward him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up. “I didn’t mean to- I mean, I did mean to, but not like _this_! And I just-”

He kept trying to explain himself, but he couldn’t find the right words because how do you explain something like that? He’d all but outed himself in front of his friend, and there was no way Lance wouldn’t notice his silly crush on him now. It was such a huge mess! What if Lance didn’t like him back? What if he didn’t even like guys?! Sure he’d always kinda known Lance couldn’t be _that_ straight, with him hitting on every moving thing around the galaxy. But still! It wasn’t as if Hunk had seen him flirt specifically with male-like beings, or maybe he wasn’t paying attention? Pidge did say Lance liked him back, but Pidge was just Pidge, and Lance was just Lance, and Hunk had known Lance since forever, and he was actually very close to him now but that didn’t really mean he’d be okay with Hunk’s feelings, and he-

“Hunk,” Lance called him, bringing him back to reality. He took Hunk’s hands on his own and tilted his head in search for Hunk’s eyes. Hunk looked up at last, his gaze crashing with those beautiful sea orbs watching him in awe. He gulped.

“Y-yes, Lance?” He managed to say after a second.

“You like what you see?” Lance asked again, tilting his head in some knowing way Hunk didn’t think he’d seen before. “You like _me_?”

“I...”

Hunk hesitated, thinking about how long he’d tried to hide his feelings for the very same person asking him to voice them now. It was surreal, the way everything was developing; having Lance in front of him like this, holding his gaze, holding his hands...

_Holding his heart._

Pidge’s voice resounded inside Hunk’s head, telling him time and time again that Lance was as into him as he was into Lance. All those looks, all the shared moments, their hugs, their conversations in the middle of the night when neither of them could sleep from missing Earth too much. The little things like complimenting Hunk’s new recipes, the huge things like saving each other’s bacon on the battlefield. The big, the small, all of it. All that it made Hunk feel he was the luckiest man alive just to be able to love someone like Lance McClain.

Maybe confessing his feelings was a risk he’d been too afraid to take, but Lance was definitely worth the risk. This was his chance to come clean at last, and _by God_ , he would take it.

“I do,” Hunk repeated, and this time he meant to say it out loud. “I like you.”

Lance smiled at that. A big, bright, beautiful smile that made Hunk’s stomach flutter.

“I like you too, big guy,” he said, causing Hunk’s heart to almost stop.

Lance liked him back. He _really_ liked him back! The Happiest man alive didn’t even begin to describe what he felt.

“You could kiss me if you want...” Lance said nonchalantly, after a tick or two of looking into each other’s eyes. Hunk couldn’t help but smile at the man’s smoothness. He’d been always like that, hadn’t he? “We could even finish the romantic scene we started back at that flower field, remember?”

Hunk snickered at Lance’s question because _of_ _course_ he remembered. Those stupid alien carnations and their stupid love pollen haunted Hunk’s nightmares for weeks after the incident. Though it didn’t prevent him from keeping the one flower Lance had given to him, even against Allura’s explicit orders. He was a romantic like that.

“But this time we’re not high on flowers' perfume,” he teased. “It wouldn’t be the same.”

“Do you really need to be high on love pollen to come kiss me?” Lance asked, growing serious. He looked Hunk straight in the eye again, and Hunk’s knees almost gave in.

“Never again,” Hunk breathed, finally closing the gap between their mouths, their bodies, and their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, y’all! A multichapter that I actually finished!
> 
> This little fellow was so fun to write, Hunk's pov is so pure and his love for Lance UGH!! I mean, i bet we all have new cavities from it, amirite? It is just too much!
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts on this one! Also, if you liked this, make sure to check my other stuff too.
> 
> See y'all very soon~

**Author's Note:**

> I’m on [twitter](https://twitter.com/theonemaye) and [tumblr](http://theonemaye.tumblr.com/). Go talk to me about this ship, this fic, this show or whatever you wanna talk about!
> 
> Like what you see? How about a [coffee](http://ko-fi.com/theonemaye) ;)


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